Set the Fire to the Third Bar
by A Beautiful Oblivion
Summary: XionxZexion songfic. Xion and Zexion think about each other when he is sent away. Betrayal, murder, tears, and almost-broken promises follow.


**I figure it's been a while since I wrote something KH-related (well... not really, but still) so I'm writing a songfic. The song is called "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol. It's a beautiful song and I recommend you listen to it whie reading this.**

**Now, I find it really annoying when authors tell you what the story is about when you just read it in the summary. So, you'll figure it out ;)**

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Laughter. He used to think it was foolish, a childish thing to do, until he met her.

* * *

"Gentlemen, I give you... Number XIV, Xion." Vexen stepped aside with a flourish. Zexion looked aside at Lexaeus, sitting beside him. As usual, the brunette didn't say anything, just raised and eyebrow.

Zexion trained his eyes back to Vexen. He was leading a small figure into his laboratory, where Zexion and Lexaeus were sitting in hard, metal stools behind a hard, metal table.

"There she is," Lexaeus breathed, leaning forward in his chair. Zexion drew in his breath sharply when she lowered her hood.

She was absolutely prefect. Zexion felt a sharp pain in his chest each time he looked at her, and narrowed his eyes whenever he saw her with those two idiots, XIII and VIII.

_I find a map and draw a straight line  
Over rivers, farms, and state lines  
The distance from here to where you'd be  
It's only finger-lengths that I see_

_

* * *

_

"Xion, what's wrong? You haven't left your room in days." Xion looked up from under her hair, crossing her arms at the concerned blue eyes of her best friend.

"Nothing," she hissed, maybe a little too harshly. Roxas raised an eyebrow, turning away.

"Fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "That's the last time I'll ask you about your problems." The blonde exited the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

Xion knew she should get up and go after him, catch his arm and say she was sorry. But she couldn't even summon up the energy to move from the sitting position on her bed, let alone to feel sorry. She cradled her face in her hands, hating Xemnas for sending him away. Hating Sora for being the reason he was sent away.

"Oh, Zexion, come home safely, won't you?" she whispered as a single tear was sent on a suicide plunge out of her eye, shattering on the curve of her wrist.

_I touch the place  
Where I'd find your face  
My fingers in creases  
Of distant, dark places_

She stroked her wrist, where the tear was already beginning to evaporate.

* * *

Zexion blinked, shaking his head to focus his eyes. Reading was becoming increasingly hard the longer he was in Castle Oblivion. Looking up, he rolled his eyes at Larxene, Axel, and Marluxia, laughing and joking. Larxene saw him looking at them and immediately elbowed the other two. All three of them stopped laughing and bent their heads together, whispering.

Zexion shook his head at their oddity. Then again, there _was _something calculating about everything the group did, as if they knew what was going to happen. But he was probably just being paranoid.

That got him thinking about Xion. _Oh no, not this again_, he thought. Thinking about her would make his eyes water and his chest hurt. As soon as a tear dripped down his cheek, Axel burst out laughing at something Larxene had said.

Zexion rubbed his temples, trying to ignore the laughter. But Marluxia joined in, and that made it worse.

For reasons even he didn't know, Zexion stood up abrubtly, his book falling to the floor with a loud _thump_. The trio ignored him, their laughter growing ever louder, boring inside of Zexion's skull.

"Shut up!" he screeched. They stopped laughing and looked at him curiously.

"Zexion? Are you-?" Axel said, looking concerned.

"No," Zexion hissed, spinning around until he was facing the door. He heard footsteps behind him, and that was all it took.

"No!" he repeated, louder and louder until it echoed around the room, then ran out the door.

_I hang my coat up in the first bar  
There is no peace that I've found so far  
The laughter penetrates my silence  
As drunken men find flaws in science_

He ran blindly, bitter tears leaking out of his eyes, until his foot caught something and he tripped, landing on his hands and knees, breathing deeply.

"What am I going to do without you?" he whispered, for he was no fool. He knew that no one was getting out of this castle alive. Every single one of them was sent over on a suicide mission.

That didn't stop him from wanting to see Xion again, one last time. But he knew he couldn't. No one could help.

_I'm miles from where you are  
I lay down on the cold ground  
And I pray that something picks me up  
And sets me down in your warm arms_

He looked up, finally taking in his surroundings. He was in a dimly lit room, facing the wall. The room was completely deserted. Except…

"You!" he gasped, turning and backing against the wall, still on the floor. The Replica stood before him, staring at him with hard, blue eyes.

Axel materialized just behind the silver-haired puppet, his face expressionless.

"Axel…" Zexion muttered.

"Wouldn't you like to be real?" the pyro asked, apparently to no one, but then the Replica nodded.

"All you need is the kind of power that the real Riku doesn't have," Axel went on. "If you can get that, you can be a new person, not Riku, nor anybody else."

_Their words, mostly noises  
Ghosts with just voices  
Your words in my memory  
Are like music to me_

Zexion watched with wide, scared eyes, pressing himself against the wall as Axel continued.

"You won't just be a copy of someone, you will be unique, your own self."

"Axel!" Zexion's voice cracked. "Please…"

"You know, he's a good a place to start as any," Axel hissed coldy, malice glittering in his green eyes.

_No!_ "You can't do this!" Zexion howled, but the Replica had already grabbed him by the front of the coat, lifting his feet off the ground.

"No!" Zexion screeched, out loud this time. He struggled weakly, but the long run had tired him out, and he could already feel his life being drained out of him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his violet eyes fluttering closed.

_After I have traveled so far  
We'd set fire to the third bar  
We'd share each other like an island  
Until exhausted, close our eyelids_

_Xion…_

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"No one returned…" Xion repeated.

"Yes. Except me," Axel replied, sympathy in his eyes.

"And Zexion, he…?" she dared to whisper, tears already forming.

"Actually, that's kind of why I wanted to talk to you..." He looked away, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"What? Is he alive?" Xion asked hopefully, eyes bright, raising her head.

"Sorry, but… no," he replied, still not looking at her.

She bowed her head, all hope gone. "Then what is it?" she whispered, fingers stroking the itchy sheets of her bed.

"I…" the redhead trailed off. "Look, before I tell you, I want you to promise me that no matter what I say, you won't do anything drastic."

"Like what?" Xion asked, crossing her arms.

"Like doing something that would hurt others," he said firmly. "Or… yourself." Grasping her by the shoulders, he looked deep into her eyes. "I need you to _promise_."

She nodded. "I promise."

Axel sat back with a sigh, running a hand down his face. "Alright… I wasn't going to tell anyone, but since you're my best friend and you knew him the best…"

"Axel," she murmured. "You can tell me."

He nodded. "I know." Abruptly, he stood up, and turned his back on her, head bowed.

"I killed him," he whispered, barely audible.

_And dreaming, pick up from  
The last place we left off  
Your soft skin is weeping  
A joy you can't keep in_

Xion stared at him, stunned. "Wha.. what?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I killed him!" Axel hissed, spinning around.

She shrank back against her sheets, suddenly afraid of the tall figure before her. Then what he said sunk in.

She sprang to her feet, clenching her hands into fists. "You…" she growled.

"Xion, remember what you promised!" Axel gasped, pressing himself against the white wall.

She remembered. So, resisting the urge to hit him, she turned slightly to the side and looked down, but didn't unclench her fists.

"I'm sorry… so, so, sorry…" he said again.

She couldn't bear to look at Axel's face anymore. So she ran. Through the hallways of The Castle that Never Was, her prison.

_I'm miles from where you are  
I lay down on the cold ground  
And I pray that something picks me up  
And sets me down in your warm arms_

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**Alright, so that's not EXACTLY how Zexion died. Sue me. And the ending was a little rushed, I just wanted to finish it O_O**

**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are welcome :D**


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